Through the Haze
by NerdofSpades
Summary: Aizawa Shouta knows there's something wrong in Midoriya's life, but he's had to sit back and wait for an opening to even consider doing something about it. Izuku has struggled quietly at home, but he's made it through so far. Hopefully Hisashi wouldn't do anything too bad in front of Izuku's teachers when they come for a home visit.


**This fic is directly inspired by Hazy Respect by PromiseMeKo on AO3.**

* * *

Shouta knew there was something wrong. It was pretty obvious in the beginning. Between the kid being exhausted all the time and him not knowing how to do makeup, Shouta was almost certain exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, Nedzu and all of Shouta's life experience told him that until Midoriya was ready and willing to talk to them or Shouta found 100% unquestionable proof, trying to force the issue couldn't help anything.

Technically speaking, Shouta couldn't even say for certain anything about who was doing it. He hoped Midoriya would be smart enough to talk to them if it was a villain, but it was hard to be sure when the boy had a stubborn/self-destructive streak at least three miles wide.

Either way, Shouta noticed. He asked Midoriya about it but got waved off for his effort. The kid got better at hiding after that, but there were still little things here and there. The way he ate multiple servings worth of food for lunch and always packed some up in his bento box to bring home. The way he started changing into his uniform at the train station before he got to school and after he left. The smell of smoke that always seemed to cling to him. The way he suddenly cut his hair short the day after Shouta was sure he'd been able to see a dark char at the tips. The way he started to get skittish around some of his other classmates. Bakugou and Todoroki got the worst reactions, with Satou and Shoji not far behind.

It made Shouta want to do a long list of things, none of which were advisable for various reasons. But first, he finally had an excuse for a home visit. He should have scheduled one earlier, but Nedzu insisted he wait. Nedzu insisted he find a different reason he could use as an excuse. Now he had one, and he couldn't wait to see what the Midoriya household looked like.

* * *

Izuku had successfully cleaned up most of the apartment with some help from his mother. Now came the hard part. Taking a deep breath, he calmly entered the living room as quietly as he could. He kept his breaths shallow and slow to avoid choking on the noxious smell of smoke and alcohol the permeated the room. He continued to move slowly as he picked up the empty bottles scattered throughout the room, staying out of the old man's line of sight to avoid distracting him from the TV program that had his attention.

Skirting the edges of the room, Izuku successfully gathered up a small handful of bottles and slid back into the kitchen. Inko gave him a small smile when he returned, grateful that the first trip had gone well. A small nod, and she stepped out of the kitchen, repeating the same process Izuku had while he moved the gathered bottles into the recycling bin.

Inko came back smiling brightly, and Izuku went out again and the process repeated. Most of the bottles had been collected. At least, most of the bottles they could actually reach without disturbing Hisashi. They would have to disturb him eventually, but it would probably be best to do that after they finished the cleaning. Izuku scowled at the mess of papers that covered the end table. He wasn't normally one to worry about keeping things organized, but he didn't want to give Aizawa anything to worry about after the questions he had asked when Hisashi first came home and those were both important financial documents and had stains on them from where Hisashi had spilled his drink on them. Including the tipped over bottle that was currently resting on top of them.

Izuku moved carefully around the table and picked up the bottles, shifting to hold them both in on hand. Izuku failed to notice Hisashi's eyes snap to him as the bottles clinked against each other. He used his free hand to start trying to quickly and quietly organize the papers. They could be moved somewhere better later.

A low growl rent the air, stilling Izuku in a heartbeat. "What do you think you're doing, Izuku," Hisashi said, rising from his seat on the couch, TV long forgotten.

Izuku gulped and removed his hand from the paperwork. "Cleaning," he said clearly, straightening up and turning to face his father. "My teachers are coming to talk to you about the new dorms their building for the students. To keep us-"

Izuku's explanation is cut off with a backhanded slap from Hisashi. "I don't care who's coming," he said. "They don't get to tell me how to run my house! How to care for my family!"

Inko froze at the edge of the room. Izuku could see the conflict in her eyes. She wanted to help Izuku. She wanted badly to be there for her little boy, but sometimes letting Hisashi go was the best option. Let him run out of steam without making him mad again.

"You!" Hisashi snapped, turning to Inko. "Did you know about this dorm nonsense?"

"Yes, Hisashi," Inko answered as calmly as she could. "UA wants the students to move into their new dorms to keep them safe from villains, especially after the recent attacks."

Hisashi scoffed. "There's no need for that bullshit." He turned his gaze on Izuku. "You won't be going anywhere. You waste enough time on this hero crap. You need to start proving your worth."

Izuku paled. He and Inko had already talked about it. As much as Izuku didn't want to leave his mom alone with Hisashi, it would be for the best. It would eliminate multiple threats to Izuku and give Inko more opportunities to build exits for herself. "What about the villains?" Izuku asked. "What if they attack us?"

Hisashi laughed, allowing a small burst of flame to fill the air. "Why would the villains care about some worthless runt like you? Any villain that thinks you're worth something should be easy enough for you to handle."

Izuku sputtered. Inko baulked. "Hisashi! Izuku can't use his quirk outside of school! That's vigilantism!"

_No. No. That was a mistake. They should have just shut up. She shouldn't have said that._

Hisashi glared at his wife. "He'll damn well do as he's told," he snarled, stalking towards her. "And you'll stay out of this. It's my house, my rules" His throat glowed as Inko stumbled back. Izuku rushed forward.

* * *

Shouta wasn't sure why Yagi wanted to go visit the Midoriyas alone, but he'd be damned if he let the buffoon go without him. He needed to have this meeting.

They heard the yelling almost as soon as they reached the stairs up the apartment complex. It was indistinct at first, just angry voices somewhere in the building. Shouta hoped he was wrong. They climbed higher and the voices grew louder. They reached the floor the Midoriyas lived on, and a loud crash startled them, followed by a very familiar voice yelling "Leave her alone!"

Both teachers broke into a run.

As they approached the door, the smell of smoke became noticeable and the yelling had only grown louder, angrier, and more frantic. Shouta reached quickly for the door handle, only to find it locked. He cursed under his breath, pounding on the door, trying his best to not let the screaming on the other side get to him. "Open the door!" he yelled, hoping against hope that they wouldn't be too late. He should have done something earlier. He should have pressed Midoriya a little harder. He should have-

Yagi pushed Shouta gently to the side, phone raised to one ear. Shouta stumbled confusedly out of the way, only to watch Yagi strain himself to activate the last burning embers of his quirk and launch himself at the door. The frame buckled and strained under the weight but didn't quite make it all the way out.

Yagi deflated quickly, stumbling back and rubbing the blood from the side of his mouth. Shouta stepped into his place and easily finished knocking down the door. Halfway down the hallway, was Midoriya Inko. She was sobbing, from pain, fear, or both, Shouta couldn't tell. She had a harsh burn across the right side of her neck and down onto her shoulder, and her clothes were rumpled and singed. She had a bruise blossoming across the left side of her face and blood trickling down her temple.

Shouta forced himself to not scowl at her. She didn't need another angry face. He stepped to the side and ushered her out to the hovering All Might, then continued forward. He needed to find his student.

The yelling had stopped being any coherent words not long before Shouta had finished knocking the door down and forcing his way inside. Now, there was nothing but angry and pained screams alongside the sound of fighting.

The living room was destroyed. Half the furniture was on fire or overturned and there were bottles smashed and scattered. Smoke filled the air. None of that mattered.

A large man with fire puffing out of his mouth with each breath had his hands wrapped around Izuku's throat and was holding him up so his feet just barely grazed the ground with the tips of his toes. Izuku had the green sparks of his quirk around him and hate in his eyes. Izuku had burns, cuts, and bruises everywhere. Izuku, for all that he looked like he hated this man more than he feared Shigaraki, wasn't breaking the man's fingers to escape his hold.

Neither person noticed Shouta's presence until their quirks dropped out from under them. Shouta rushed forwards, tackling the man to the floor and wishing he had been able to bring his capture gear with him.

Izuku was knocked from Hisashi's grip when the man fell, stumbling and crying out in pain as he fell to the floor.

"Izuku! Run!" Shouta shouted, wrestling with the abusive bastard on the floor.

"No!" Izuku yelled back, stubborn to the last. He jumped into the fray, trying to grapple the man's flailing limbs.

Shouta blinked. A plume of fire burst between the three of them. Shouta leaned back, letting the heat roll across his face. Izuku yelped and tumbled backwards.

"Get out of here!" Shouta tried again, his quirk flaring back to life. He glared at Hisashi, who had used the distraction to get back to his feet and kicked him in the gut.

"I'm not leaving you!" Izuku continued. He burst forward, lightning crackling across his skin again as he punched across his father's jaw. Shouta cursed. Hisashi fell.

He didn't get back up.

Shouta gave Izuku a half-hearted, empty glare. "Go, Izuku," he said, bending down to grab the pile of trash that was now his responsibility. "I've got this."

Izuku stubbornly refused to listen, limping next to his teacher as they walked out of the still burning apartment. A small sob was pulled from Izuku's throat as he rushed the last feet to his mother. Mutters and shuffling feet caught Shouta's attention, and he glanced over to see some neighbor's gawking while they slowly began to evacuate. Shouta glared at them for a second, and they started moving a little faster.

"Emergency services should be here shortly," Yagi told Shouta, pulling his attention from the inconsiderate civilians looking for the latest gossip.

Sirens cut through the air before Shouta could say anything. He nodded and watched Izuku and Inko for a moment. He wanted to go back in and find a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, but he also needed to be here for his student. And keep track of the bastard masquerading as a father. Not to mention he shouldn't go into a burning building without his gear.

He sighed and heaved Hisashi onto his shoulders. "Come on," he grumbled, falling into his disinterested teacher persona. "Let's go meet them out front."

Hopefully the Problem Child didn't make going to the hospital more complicated than it needed to be.

* * *

"We were supposed to be talking about dorms," Nedzu said, "but I believe this takes priority."

Inko grasped her son's hand under the table in the conference room the hospital had lent them. "I can at least answer that question," she said. "Izuku will be safer in the dorms. I'll miss him, but I only want what's best."

Aizawa nodded, leaning forward in his seat. "We can agree on that, Mrs. Midoriya. UA is also concerned for your safety."

"I would be more than willing to cover the charges for moving to a new apartment or house," Nedzu continued. "It is the least UA can do to keep both you and your son happy and safe. If you so desired, we could even ask Cementoss to build a house for you on campus so you could be close to each other."

"You'd be willing to…" Izuku was still struggling to process all of this, and UA was…

"Like Principal Nedzu said," All Might spoke up, "we want you both safe and well. It would hardly be a good idea to return to your old apartment. It would be completely understandable if you and your mother wanted to stay near each other after what happened. You've relied on each other for so long, being apart may feel forced."

"Thank you," Inko gasped out, tears beginning to fall again.

"It's nothing," Nedzu said. "Our students' wellbeing has always been and always will be our first priority, and that extends to the wellbeing of their family as well."

"If you choose to stay off campus, I know several apartment complexes that value discretion," All Might said.

"As do I," Aizawa added. "Between the two of us, we should be able to find something that suits your needs."

Inko nodded. "Thank you. Thank you. I just… can you give us some time to talk about it?"

"Of course." Nedzu answered, moving to the door of the conference room with his teachers following him. "Take your time. We'll be ready to help as soon as you have an answer."

"Mr. Aizawa?" Izuku spoke up.

"Yes, Problem Child?" Aizawa responded, stopping by the door.

"Thank you," he said, echoing his mom. "I… I should have trusted you to help us sooner."

Aizawa nodded slowly. "Yes, you should have, but you were in a very tough position. Very few people in abusive homes are able to come forward, no matter who they have willing to help them. I'm just glad we got there in time."

Izuku nodded and let them go. All these months of suffering, and it was finally over. "It doesn't feel real," he whispered to his mom.

Inko gave a watery laugh. "No, it doesn't. But it is. We don't have to worry about him ever again."

"What are you planning on doing?"

Inko worried her lip. "I want to stay on campus to be close to you."

"But you also want to keep going to work, don't you?"

Inko nodded. "I don't want to rely completely on your teachers, as generous as their offer is. And… I need something. I need something to do and something familiar. Going to work will give me that."

Izuku nodded and hugged her. "We'll visit often," he said. "And we'll both be safe from him."

Inko pressed her face into her son's head, tucked under her chin. "We are. Everything is going to be just fine."


End file.
